Digitisation will help curb sensationalism in Indian media: Manish Tewari

PTI|

Updated: Mar 13, 2013, 09.44 PM IST

0Comments

NEW DELHI: Digitisation will help curb the huge degree of sensationalism in the Indian media as the new transparent system would help improve the revenue models, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari today said.

The entire attempt at digitisation has been really an exercise in trying to build a revenue model, to see that the industry becomes transparent, becomes self sustaining and does not really have to walk the extra mile in order to get an extra eyeball, he said.

He named prevailing revenue models as one of the reasons for the huge degree of sensationalism in the Indian media.

He said that digitisation as a mechanism would enable the growth of revenue models in the broadcasting industry leading to the overall growth of the media and entertainment sectors.

The process would help broadcasters in identifying a balanced growth model through the increased share from the subscription revenues, he said.

He was speaking at a function organised to confer the Business Standard-Seema Nazareth Award for Excellence in Print Journalism. Sushmi Dey was named the winner of the award which was presented Tewari. Two awards as special mention were presented to Shelly Walia and Debolina Sengupta.

In his speech Tewari also said there was an urgent need for key stakeholders within the media to introspect in view of the trends that had emerged as a result of corrosive discourse on one side and responsible discourse on the other.

He said that the behaviour in Parliament and Legislatures was also a part of the public discourse. Referring to the challenges that had emerged due to the social media, he said these tools had created an unprecedented potential to connect people with information.

"If the next two decades is the space for consolidation that we have, that India is able to punch its weight in the international arena, the one thing which can become a drag is at times the very corrosive nature of discourse which has marked our public space."

He also stressed on the need for a "deep analysis" of the health care section, saying "our public health spaces unfortunately have not been able to keep pace with the growing demands that even a developing society needs to provide".